Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother. But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established. And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican. Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them. (Mat 18: 15-20)
I am the body of Christ, you are the body of Christ, and, we are the body of Christ. Nobody sins alone. An individuals sin is against many. First and foremost, it is against God; the Holy God of all righteousness. Then sin is against me, against you and the whole body of Christ. Finally, sin especially sexual sin is against even the individual committing such sin.
As a man of God and spiritual leader there are a few things that must be clearly
understood with regards to sin and discipline amongst Christians. The Bible is the
absolute standard for all mankind whether a person believes in the Lordship of Jesus
Christ or not. This Word of God emphatically declares, "He that covereth his sins shall
not prosper: but whoso CONFESSETH and FORSAKETH them shall have mercy." This Bible also
makes abundantly clear two important aspects of all life:
1. God is the ultimate judge of all things
2. God has given rulers and law - both moral and ethical; civil and criminal - entirely
based on His unchanging Word. Romans 13 teaches us that those in authority (police,
prosecutors, judges) are ministers of God who are bearers of the sword. Their purpose is
to punish evil doers and protect the righteous.
Most of the West has evil and righteous confused. The righteous are those who
are blood washed by the propitiatory blood of Jesus Christ. Nothing else makes true
Christians than being covered by the BLOOD OF JESUS! Such persons may fall and sin but
they are still THE righteous because of Christ's blood and no other reason. Such is God's
ORDER whether we like it or not. Being blood washed heirs of God does not give anyone the
right to turn his or her liberty into license. In fact, it imposes upon us an even
greater responsibility to live exemplary lives according to the absolute standard of
God's Word and the requirements of Christ. The Bible teaches, "Thou therefore which
teachest another, teachest thou not thyself? thou that preachest a man should not steal,
dost thou steal? Thou that sayest a man should not commit adultery, dost thou commit
adultery? thou that abhorrest idols, dost thou commit sacrilege?"
Moral and civil failure must not be confused with criminal acts. That there has been
moral failure by Church leaders from time to time is undeniable and it is the responsibility of the
CHURCH to judge its own house. The Bible categorically states that "Judgment begins at
the house of the Lord." Judgment in the Church is for three main purposes:
1. To protect the flock and establish God's righteous order
2. To cleanse the church by exposing the sinner and his sin
3. To bring the sinning believer to repentance for the purposes of restoration. Where there is no true repentance, neither can there be true forgiveness.
Where there is such moral failure, it is shameful and brings shame to the name and GLORY
OF GOD. This surely happens and happens all too often. BUT, let no man whether in the church or outside of it
forget the words of Christ: BEFORE YOU PRESUME TO TAKE THE TWIG FROM YOUR BROTHER'S EYE,
REMOVE THE LOG FROM YOUR OWN EYE.
Of course the world is angry because the church has failed to live up to a standard that
is not only required by the Lord but has been preached by us. That makes believers hypocrites.
We have disappointed the world so many times. I humbly appeal to all who have been wounded by the SIN of Christian leaders to please, please, please forgive this hypocrisy.
In the end, each man will stand or fall ALONE before the Lord of heaven and earth. The
most important aspect of the Christian walk is that each believer comes to be refined to
become more like Christ so that we GLORIFY GOD by who we are and not what we do.
_________________
SI Moderator - Greg Gordon
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